Wedding Shoes

I’ve been to a lot of weddings and seen a lot of shoes and there seems to be some good advice to bear in mind when you are making your choices.

Advice for Buying Wedding Shoes

Don’t leave it until the last minute – Yes it doesn’t seem to be the most important thing in the world but you’ll need to have your shoes ready for your dress fitting so that the dress makers can adjust it properly.

If you can, take a fabric swatch from your dress with you when you are choosing your shoes – There are a million different shades of cream, ivory and even white and it’s helpful to have something with you if you are trying to match. Of course, you can always get your shoes dyed for the perfect match – there are lots of online companies who will take care of this for you.

Wear your shoes around the house for a bit before your wedding day – Nothing makes me grumpier than when my feet hurt and I guess I’m not alone in this. Breaking them in a bit will help and also give you a head’s up if you need to buy insoles or gel pads to help you get through the day.

Be prepared – Make sure that one of your bridesmaid’s or someone else who will be there all day and carrying a bag, has some of those invisible blister plasters with them (just in case).

Get a grip – If you’re worried about slipping in them, then either just score them with a bit of sandpaper or just ‘do the twist’ on some surface like gravel before you walk down the aisle to rough them up a bit and give you some grip.

Buy another pair of shoes for the evening – High heels look fabulous but they can be a killer by the end of the day, especially if you are not used to wearing them or if the heels you have chosen are higher than your usual style. Plus on the dance floor they can be a bit difficult (OK that might just be me) so if you are planning on dancing the night away at your wedding reception, or just think you’ll want to kick off the heels after dinner, it’s a great idea to have a second pair for the night. No-one’s saying slip on your slippers (unless you want to of course) but flip flops, ballet pumps or a lower heel could keep you on your feet for longer!

You don’t have to match your dress – That’s not really expected any more. Lots of brides choose to have a contrasting or complementary colour for their shoes, to match in with their overall wedding scheme, flowers or bridesmaid’s dresses.

Plan ahead again – Certain colours of shoe are much easier to get in the summer than winter or vice-versa – white / ivory shoes are easier to find in the summer and fabulous sparkly numbers are easier to find in the winter. If you’re planning to buy from the high street, then it might be a good idea to shop ‘in season’ for what you need.

Winter Proofing – If you’re having a winter wedding, or will be going across terrain which might make heels difficult (not as uncommon as you’d think!) then why not invest in a good pair of wedding wellies? You can always get someone to carry your official shoes for you so you are back to elegance and heels when you get back inside.

Bridesmaid shoes – if you’re having bridesmaids from varying age categories, then matching them up might not be possible – clearly a 5 year old flower girl isn’t going to manage in 4 inch heels! Even with all grown-up bridesmaids, you might choose not match them up but to let them choose shoes that match their dress but that they can wear afterwards. Little bridesmaids and flower girls tend to fret if their shoes are not comfortable or feel slippy when they walk, and have a tendency to ditch them before they even get down the aisle if they don’t like them. So it’s probably worth getting them to wear them around the house with whatever tights / socks they will have on for the day so they can get used to them or you can make some adjustments. Of course, if their shoes are particularly pretty, it can be a bit difficult to get them to take them off again!

Last but certainly not least – if you’re wearing a floor length dress then the chances are that a lot of people might not get to see the results of all your planning and your perfect pair of wedding shoes. So make sure your photographer gets a shot of them for posterity!